Blazevich prepares to make his call

04:04 PM, April 22, 2013 |

By Michael Burns

After considering scholarship offers from the top college football programs in the nation, Charlotte Christian School’s Jeb Blazevich is just about ready to announce a choice between Clemson, Ole Miss, Georgia, Alabama, Notre Dame and Ohio State.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Under Armour All-American is ranked the No. 3 tight end in the nation and the No. 8 overall prospect in North Carolina by ESPN, and he’s working to arrange a televised announcement in the coming days.

He visited Alabama and Ole Miss earlier this month, after making return trips to Clemson and Georgia in March, and he says he’s seen all he needs to make his call.

“I’m going to talk with my coach and my parents tonight,” Blazevich told TigersNow.com. “We’re going to sit down and decide, then I’ll sleep on it and make sure I’m 100 percent. I think I know.”

Tight ends coach Danny Pearman has led Clemson’s recruitment, but he’s had some help from a senior chemical engineering major on campus, Jeb’s brother, Davis.

“He’ll be very happy about the decision either way, but of course he’s been recruiting for them pretty good,” Jeb Blazevich said. “Coach Pearman has had him recruiting good. I’ve really enjoyed that and just hearing his opinion and all that. I really hadn’t had those conversations with my brother, so it’s been good with all that.”

Ole Miss has family connections, too. Blazevich’s grandfather played at Ole Miss, and he has cousins on campus in Oxford, Miss., but Charlotte Christian coach Jason Estep has implored him to understand the choice is about where he sees himself.

“The one thing that I always tell him is, ‘You’re the one that has to wake up there every morning. You’re the one that has to get up and do the workouts at 6 in the morning.’ Wherever that might be, I’m going to support the heck out of him,” Estep said. “He’s the one at the end of the day that has to make that decision. That’s what it comes down to now. He’s laid out all the facts. What’s that place for him? I have an idea of where I think he’s leaning, but he’s really kept a lot of that stuff to himself. He’s really making a thoughtful decision.”

And Clemson has given the four-star prospect a lot to think about.

“I think that Coach Pearman has done an unbelievable job,” Estep said. “I’ve known Coach Pearman for a long time, when he’s coached at other places, too. I have a lot of respect for him. The system they run is a potential good fit for him. Coach (Chad) Morris does an unbelievable job coordinating that offense. Coach (Dabo) Swinney is a guy that I’m sure he would enjoy playing for. His belief system is in line with where Jeb’s are at. It would be a good fit. It’s close to home. It just comes down to does he see himself there.”

Blazevich caught 30 passes for 379 yards and five touchdowns last season. He started the school year around 240 pounds, after making an effort to bulk up, but he’s dropped to about 225 – though his wide frame and athleticism make it possible for him to carry more, again, as he develops. Estep believes he’ll be able to adapt to any role the next level presents.

“If you ask me to sum him up in one word, I would use ‘versatility,’” Estep said. “He can put his hand down and block the point of attack. He’s a very strong individual. He’s very smart with his footwork and the angles he takes. He’s also able to step off and really be an offset tight end. You can put him in motion. You can put him as a fullback. He can do a lot of different things. He’s truly one of those hybrid guys. He’s a little bit bigger than a normal receiver as far as his weight, so it puts him in that hybrid position, but I think he has the ability to pack weight on if someone wanted to use him as a traditional tight end, also.”

After the departure of senior Brandon Ford, rising junior Sam Cooper, who tore an ACL during Clemson’s spring game, was set to return as Clemson’s top tight end. Freshman early enrollee Jordan Leggett has made an impact in practice in the early going, and redshirt freshman Jay Jay McCullough is also among players returning at the position, but the Tigers have a need there on the roster and are expected to sign one tight end in the 2014 recruiting class.

In a matter of hours, Blazevich will make a final determination if he will fill that need.

He’s been invited to Nike’s The Opening, a prestigious prospect camp in Oregon, this summer.

He said he’s enjoyed the entire process of recruiting, from the competition at invitation-only combines to the conversations with celebrity-coaches such as Nick Saban.

“You can’t let yourself get stressed out over it,” Blazevich said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. Never again in my life am I going to have such high-profile people actually talking and being so nice to me. That’s one of the great perks, meeting the people, going places. I’m very thankful to my dad taking me around everywhere and just making sure I see everything and I don’t leave any stone unturned. It’s really been a great experience. I’ve definitely grown closer to my parents and my coaches, and I’ve learned a lot about myself and even people in general.”